Tuesday, May 08, 2012

None dare call it treason

Even John McCain, who thought Sarah Palin was qualified to lead the nation, publicly called out an Obama Derangement Syndrome sufferer who suffered a public nutty. Not our Man Myth Romney.

Instead, Romney embarked on what Washington Post political writer Melinda Hennenberger called a Mormon Moment, offering an off-topic constitutional defense to the town hall commenter who declared Obama "should be tried for treason."

Faced with a similar heckler, you may recall, McCain forcefully rebutted a heckler who declared Obama was an "Arab":

“I have to tell you, Senator Obama is a decent person and a person
you don’t have to be scared of as president of the United States,”
McCain said. And when the woman persisted, so did he:

“No, ma’am. He’s a decent family man ... I just happen to have
disagreements with on fundamental issues and that’s what this campaign’s
all about.”

Not so Romney, who offered this seeming non sequitur.

“As I’m sure you do, I happen to believe that the Constitution was not just brilliant, but probably inspired.”

Only later, on a reporter rope line, did Romney offer a coherent, if still inappropriate response:

“No, no, no, of course not,” Mr. Romney told reporters, vigorously
shaking his head, when asked on the rope line after the event if he
agreed with his supporter’s assertion.

Explaining his reluctance to correct the woman publicly, Mr. Romney told CNN: “I
don’t correct all of the questions that get asked of me. Obviously I
don’t agree that he should be tried.”

"I don't agree he should be tried? " Does that mean that he believes Obama is guilty of treason but should get a pass?

The Fringe Right, with spokespeople like Rush Limbaugh, Ann Coulter and Glenn Beck at the Fox gang have done great damage to the tone and substance of debate in this nation. A candidate who does not have the backbone to stand up to that fringe, in a friendly crowd no less, does not have what it takes to lead a divided nation. Period. End of sentence.